Write for Rights - Join Me

Please join me and thousands of others and participate in Write for Rights, an Amnesty International letter writing campaign that mobilizes action in support of international human rights cases. It is the world's largest human rights event. Click the link to learn about the cases and resources to help you write compelling letters and take other actions.

Last year, Amnesty's 1.8 million actions in 80 countries drew international attention to its priority cases. This prompted direct government response and protected human rights defenders still in prison against threats and inhumane treatment.

Write for Rights takes place on December 10, Human Rights Day, but today I am going to write letters at an Amnesty International Toronto Write for Rights event. Please see my below draft of a letter I wrote about one of the cases for practice. Note: we are more likely to make a high impact if our letters are hand written and sent by postal mail.

December 7, 2013

To: President Moncef Marzouki

Your Excellency,

I am a blogger passionate about free expression. My ability to express myself freely in my blog has helped make positive changes within several communities and I want the citizens of Tunisia to have that same power.

I am very concerned that the imprisonment of Jabeur Mejri for criticizing Islam on his Facebook Profile and the restricted expression of other Tunisian journalists, artists, bloggers and others under Articles 123(1) and 226 of the Penal Code and Article 86 of the Telecommunications Code have discouraged important discussion about issues that impact the people of Tunisia.

Jabeur shared his beliefs in a non-violent way and he should not be imprisoned for exercising his human right to free expression. I urge you to reflect on your former experience as head of the Tunisian League of Human Rights and as a prisoner of conscience in 1994.

Please free Jabeur Mejri immediately and take the necessary measures to provide Tunisians with free expression.

Thank you for your attention on this urgent matter.

Sincerely,

Ashley Ashbee

Toronto, Canada

Send your letter to:
Président Moncef Marzouki

Palais Présidentiel

Tunis
Tunisie
Postage: $1.85 (in Canada)

Fax: 011 216 71 744 721

Email: box@pm.gov.tn

Please make a copy for:

His Excellency Riadh Essid

Ambassador for Tunisia

515 O’Connor Street

Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 3P8

Postage: $.63 (in Canada)

Fax: (613) 237-7939

Email: etottawa@ipandp.com

Update on March 6, 2014

After thousands of Amnesty International members around the world wrote letters to Tunisian government demanding the release of Jabeur Mejri, he is free. I am thrilled. Read more about his story, Amnesty's efforts and his release. He is the third 2013 Write for Rights case to be released.